Red
by invisibleinscriptions
Summary: Humans fear what they don't know. It's no wonder the Vampire clan known as the Baskervilles had to endure a history of accusation. Vincent was strange, even for a vampire, but he was ready to embrace it for his brother Gilbert. After all, everything that went sour in Gilbert's life was Vincent's fault... Also, Oz and Alice are very excited to discover that Gilbert is a vampire.
1. Chapter 1

**An: Written for the 2015 Pandora Hearts Secret Santa.**

Abomination is such an ugly word, wouldn't you agree? Even at a young age, I had come to the conclusion that it was a repulsive word. Humans declare anything that could potentially harm them as an abomination, but that is utter hypocrisy. To an animal, humans would be considered an abomination. An abomination can only be a creature full of toxic hypocrisy and bigotry, and from what I had seen at the age of 6, the whole world fit into that narrow category.

"Vincent?" a small voice called out to me.

My elder brother, Gilbert, was not an abomination. Gilbert was kind, too kind, and unable to take actions that would yield him the most bliss. My brother, even today, is weak in a sense because his nature treats selfishness as a poison to himself. I loved my brother and I still love my brother. Of all to be the siblings in the world, I was given the best of them.

"I caught a rabbit. I know you don't like rabbit… it's been too long since… but if we were…" Gilbert had drifted off into a muddle of words.

I shook my head in response, giving a weak smile as I hugged my legs closer to my knees, trying to stay out of any sunlight. Gilbert was covered in scratches, as he always was, and I knew it was my fault, as it always was.

Extending my arms out, Gilbert handed me the rabbit. I brush a few strands of my long blond fringe out of my red wine and sun gold eyes. The rabbit struggled in my arms, recognizing me as predator. It's been so long… I need it.

I open my mouth, my fangs barred, and sunk them into the rabbit. This blood is so vile. It tasted like rubber. Human blood, human blood is much sweater.

No, this won't work. A fire spits up my throat, and I laps into a fit of violent coughs, the horrendous rabbit blood traveling back up. Through squinted eyes, I can see Gilbert's frown.

I am sorry.

"I… a-am sor-r" I try to sputter out as blood escapes my mouth through coughs.

Gilbert does not say a word as he moves next to me, sliding his back along the ally wall I am leaning against until he is beside me, rubbing my back gently. My brother has never blamed me, but I can see what my existence is doing to him. Gilbert is too gentle to admit that I am causing him pain. I am awful.

"Vince, it isn't your fault. I-I don't know what to do," Gilbert pleaded.

When my coughing died down, I can still remember my words at that moment. "I need it again. Brother, if I don't… it's already happening again. You need it too, don't you?"

Gilbert bit his lip, "Yes, yes I do, but I can hang on."

I hated my life. At that moment, I got up and ran, forgetting about the sunlight. I had yelped when my skin began to burn, my dirty hood falling off as Gilbert ran and pulled me back into the darkness where I belong.

It was not fair. "Hey, what does sunlight feel like?" I blankly question once I was blanketed by familiar darkness once more.

Gilbert had looked as though he were about to answer, when his golden eyes fell blank, and his body slipped like a limp doll. In my eyes it happened in slow motion, I lunged out to catch him, my arms barely reaching his clothing in time to pull him from hitting the wall. The force of Gilbert's body moving towards my pull caused me to stumbled back, into the sunlight.

A scream had left my mouth with such force that I felt my throat begin to bleed.

Perhaps that was the moment when I thought I saw an angel? My body was weak with hunger and from the sun, when a man with hair as blond as fine sand and eyes green as emeralds had pushed my brother and I into the shade.

He caught and set us down before leaning against the narrow ally wall with his face turned to the sunlight. My body curled in on itself, every inch howling in agony, but I managed to turn my face up.

"Who are you?" I had rasped. The man looked down on me, his face angelic and serene. This man could be here to hurt us like any other... He had seen my eyes, I was certain, thus, he could only have one intention. Gilbert was too weak to protect me and I was too weak to protect myself. This was the end, I had thought.

The man's smile held no malice, "My name is Jack Vessalius. I know you and your brother are both vampires, but I am not here to harm you. I am only here to help."

By his scent, I knew this man was human. A voice inside my head kept a consent chant, "blood…blood…blood," and it grew louder in Jack's presence.

Pulling out a knife, the older male drew blood from his wrist, spilling it like a waterfall. My eyes widened. It's was blood! I remember the way my heart had raced at the sight, and I remember the smile the odd human gave me while telling me to drink.

I remember catching the blissful blood on my tongue when Gilbert had begun to awaken.

"Vincent!" He had called in alarm, before turning his golden eyes to the calm green-eyed man in confusion.

"I am sorry little one, I do not have enough for you too, but come with me and I will show you a place in which you are allowed to be yourself," the angelic man promised.

I wiped my mouth with my brown sleeve. Blood had been smeared all over it. Gilbert looked to me with eyes indicating that we had no choice, but to come along with the man. We would have not been able to survive like this any longer if we were not to go.

That was the day my brother and I were taken into the Baskerville family, brought in by Jack Vessalius.

The Baskerville family was an ancient family of vampires. Their clan leader, Glen, led them. The current Glen, Oswald, (Jack had called him), explained to me what I am.

Vampires are born by mutation. If a baby has mutated to be a vampire, it can take a number of years to show. The stronger the mutation, the stronger chances of having it pass to other unborn members of the family. Normally, the mutation is constant between all vampires, but occasionally there are ones with stronger mutations. My brother Gilbert is one of those cases. Vampires of the like are to be the next Glen.

For reasons that can only be speculated, the siblings of stronger blooded vampires tend to be anomalies, and that is what I was.

Vampires like Gilbert and the Baskervilles have a human form and a vampire form. When in human form, they are able to act just as a human; they are able to eat human food and bask in the sunlight. Although, human form consumes more energy, and eventually human food will become insufficient. As vampires, they can live off animal blood, but eventually, that too will become insufficient.

Anomalies like me, we work a little differently. To start, unlike others, we do not have a human form. We can live off of animal blood until our body requires human blood, but we cannot eat human food at all. Due to us always being in our vampire form, we require blood more often as we consume more vamperic energy. Another thing that sets us apart is that we cannot go in the sun because we don't have a human form that can do so.

This biggest difference is that… when our hunger gets to a certain point, we cannot control our power. For an unknown reason vampires like me have the ability to… feel the emotions of humans. When our hunger grows out of control, that instinct takes over and we are able to manipulate humans, allowing us to feed.

The final thing that any vampire can do is summoning a familiar without the familiar eventually killing the contractor as it does to humans.

I found it slightly ridiculous, but I did not care.

All vampires bear red eyes to some degree, but it a natural instinct for the ones who can hide it to hide it. Vampire eyes are shunned in society. To someone like me, that did not come as a surprise. My eye has been red since birth, and I cannot hide it. Society did not take kindly to my eye.

When traveling while covered head to toe with my brother, anyone who saw my eye knew what I was. Gilbert was always taking beatings for me when they came to expel us from this world. My brother, who is able to shift into a human, should not have to baby sit a liability such as myself.

Despite my negative thoughts, the next few years were happy for me. Jack was a friend of the Baskervilles, and the Baskervilles taught Gilbert and I how to live properly as vampires. Jack was almost like a father to me. Gilbert and I's father threw us out when he realized what my eyes meant, before Gilbert had awakened his vampire side. That was another disadvantage of being an anomaly; your vampire blood never knows the meaning of dormant. Jack was human, but Jack did not care about what I was. He did not consider me evil, or ill fated in the slightest. Glen dotted on Gilbert in his own way, and I could see how Gilbert looked up to him.

We were happy, until the tragedy occurred.

That day the world was painted a shade of crimson red, just like the colour of my accursed eye! Incinerating flames danced across what had become my beloved home. My dear family members all turned into crisp husks of what they had been. I remember it clearly, I wish I did not, but I will never forget. I will never forget because…I was the one who played a part in causing it. It was not my fault! I was a child! I do not even know what exactly I did. I was told that Glen would kill my brother when transferring his strongest familiar… I was told how to stop it… when I did… everything turned red. Red! Red! Red! The colour of love! The colour of passion! The colour of sweet death! Isn't it pretty?!

But, the tale of the day when the world I loved went up in flames is for another day.

My brother and I were, through a series of events, cast a hundred years in the future, and that brings me to today. For an odd reason, my brother remembers nothing of our history from a hundred years ago. I am thinking he has suppressed his own memories. I do not find that too hard to believe. My brother was always too soft to handle such hardships. What I find odd is that he seems to be stuck in his human form. Gilbert is weaker than before, living off only human food, but I do not know how he will keep it up, or how his body is even keeping up now for that matter.

Then there is Oz Vessalius. Gilbert is so attached to his master Oz. I am not jealous because as much as I adore my brother… I don't mind that my brother doesn't remember me. Gilbert is better off without me. Oz can allow him to shine in that world of sunlight that I can never be with him in. Gilbert deserves it…all I brought in his life was misery.

Ah, everything I do hurts people! I am not a man of the sun. The darkness invites me along with my eye of never changing blood red. Gilbert does not need me in his life. No, after all he has done for me, I want him to be happy. Gilbert has never been happy with me.

If I were never born, his life would have been so much better. Gilbert is not an anomaly, so he would have been able to manage living as a vampire without me blowing his cover easily. Father and mother would not have sold us to the circus…the Baskervilles would not have turned to ash.

I should have never been born. I am vile.

These hands of mine carry bloodstains from my kin. My eyes carry the sight of my beaten brother. I am filthy. Dirty. I should die.

A smile spreads itself on my face. These abnormal powers of mine to manipulate, why should I suppress them? Humans are toxic, hypocritical beings. If it is for my brother's happiness, I will manipulate them.

Yet… it still hurts when he looks at me with his golden eyes that show no sign of recognition. Little does Gilbert know that his eyes are not golden with black pupils, but are golden with red pupils. Gilbert doesn't know…but I do…it should stay that way… but it hurts.

I wonder, which is more fascinating, humans of hypocrisy, or vampires of manipulation?


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I am incapable of writing anything but angst, but this is a present, and so take this chapter as an apology for somehow turning vampire Au into angst.**

It had been hectic. Oz woke up that morning with yesterdays fatigue still drenched over him. If Oz were being honest, he would have felt like crap if it were not for the fact that beside him lay the two most precious people in his life, Gilbert and Alice.

In Oz's mind it felt like Jack telling Oz what he really was and Gilbert remembering his past happened in another universe. Sadly, those events occurred and were very real. Gilbert's missing arm was proof enough for the legitimacy of the events that transpired not too long ago. Alice… Oz had always felt as though they had a connection, but never in Oz's dreams would he have guest this is why he felt a pull towards her radiance. Oz, the name given to a little toy rabbit chain, that is who Oz was. Gilbert was a Baskerville vampire, Alice was born for an experiment, the world turned upside down so fast, or perhaps, the world turned right side up after a long period of being wrong.

Come to think of it, Oz wanted to see what Gilbert looked like as a vampire. Alice was an odd case as she was a half vampire. Alice's parents were both vampires, but the mutation does not always pass on… perhaps her birth in the realm of the familiars known as the abyss caused her to become an anomaly known as a half vampire. From Oz's understanding, this meant that Alice did not have a taste for human blood, but had strange urges to bite things and an unquenchable love for meat.

After Oz was satisfied with his observations of the sleeping Gilbert and Alice, Oz began to bounce on the bed while still seated. Gilbert's face began to morph into irritation as he turned to face away from Oz, promptly falling off the bed with a loud thud. Alice, who had not been affected at all by the bouncing, woke up with a start at the sound of Gilbert falling.

"MINI ALICE'S!" Alice exclaimed, frazzled from being thrown out of her dream.

"Shut up stupid rabbit," Gilbert moaned, picking himself up sorely from the floor. "Oz, do you need something?" the raven-haired man inquired, ignoring his pain.

Oz's mischievous grin amplified, "Yes, actually. Show me your vampire form. The full thing! Even your eyes."

Alice suddenly was snapped from her daze and turned to Gilbert, "Oh yeah. Last I saw you in that form you were so tiny, but your eyes were still golden, so you weren't fully in your vampire form. Go on, let's see it," Alice mused in her typical commanding manner.

A flush rose down Gilbert's face as he oriented himself back on the bed, "It's not that special."

"Pleeeeaaaaassssse," Oz pleaded in a childlike manner. Gilbert could not refuse.

"Fine, but look away first," Gilbert sighed. He was getting too old for these antics. That being said, everyone on the bed was over a hundred years old, in a manner of speaking.

Oz complied and went over to Alice to cover her eyes before he turned both of them around. Most unfortunately for Oz, Gilbert had known Oz long enough to know he would try to take a peak at what vampire transformation looked like, and so Gilbert left the room to transform.

"Let go of my eyes," Alice huffed before biting Oz's hand. Oz retracted his hand with a wince.

Not a second later, Gilbert reentered the room with his eyes shut.

"Ooooo," both Oz and Alice chimed as Gilbert walked in with his blush still evident.

Gilbert did not look too different, Oz thought. The young man's canine teeth were enlarged, his finger nails longer, and his ears pointed, but other than that he looked relatively the same.

Oz hummed, "Open your eyes."

Gilbert flinched, "Oz, vampires that are able to hide their eyes do it on instinct. It's makes us vulnerable to show our eyes. Even though all Baskervilles are vampires we still kept our eyes like a human's when we were together in our vampire forms."

Alice waved her hand, "Even if you are vulnerable it's not like I would hurt my indirect/direct manservant."

Oz nodded his head, "Gil, there is no reason to feel like we are going to hurt you because of your eyes."

Upon hearing those words, Gilbert's shoulder relaxed a little. Slowly, Gilbert opened his eyes. No longer were they pure gold, but instead they were golden with red pupils. Oz was unused to the site, but Oz found it alluring in it's own way.

"Your eyes are interesting," Oz commented, skipping up to Gilbert.

Gilbert darted his gaze to the side of the room, "t-thanks."

Alice moved to Gilbert as well, but instead of commenting on his eyes, Alice jumped up and pulled on his ears.

"What are you doing?!" Gilbert snapped, stretching taller and away from Alice.

Alice broke out into a large smile, "Your ears are pointy"

Gilbert's face found its way to his palm in disappointment. Oz could not help but bubble.

Suddenly the grin dropped from Oz's face and was replaced by a look of puzzlement. "Hey Gil, if you require human blood after while… how did you survive all these years?"

Alice began to quiet down, also seeming to ponder the same thought. Gilbert scratched his head, Oz did not ask an easy question.

"I actually did have blood," Gilbert confessed.

Oz's puzzled face only grew more confused. Gilbert elaborated, "When I was with you ten years ago I had a limited supply. Baskervilles carry vials of blood in their coats wherever they go. When I woke up in front of the Vessaliuss manner, I had the vials with me. I did not know what they were so I kept them. My craving for blood made me weak, and my instincts lead me to drink small portions of the vial when I got too weak. It wasn't enough though, so I was growing weaker, but I was trying to conserve the vials of contents that I did not know. Rather, I did not want to know."

Alice nodded, processing the information. "I don't know how you didn't smell it, but how did you make it after you ran out of the vials?"

"I did smell it, but I thought of it as medicine. I was in my human form when I drank blood, and that is something that can only occur under very severe hunger in a dire situation. My senses were dull, and I was physically stuck in my human form. When the vials were out around the time that Oz was dragged to the Abyss. When I moved in with the Nightrays, Vincent was, without my knowledge, putting blood in my food when my need became dire enough to allow me to consume blood in human form. Vincent was taking care of me without my knowledge," Gilbert continued.

"Do you need blood now?" Oz inquired as he stared at Gilbert's scarlet pupils. Once Oz concentrated, he could see Gilbert's pupils seemed to resemble a snake's eye in this form, or a cat's eye. Of course, Gilbert would not be thrilled to hear that he resembled a cat.

Gilbert looked uncomfortable, as he spoke, "No."

A mischievous grin found it's way to Oz's youthful face. "Ooooh, really now?" Oz began to prance around Gilbert, a certain sway to his taunting steps. Gilbert did not have a good feeling about this. "Well then, AH-" Oz had tripped, his acting was superb, but Gilbert knew this was all part of Oz's plan. Oz fell in such a manner that a small portion of his delicate skin was scrapped against the bedside. Not in a significant portion, but a petty amount of blood began to surface around his scraped skin.

"Oz!" Alice exclaimed at the blood. "My man servant can't go hurting himself like that!"

Oz gave her a tender smile to indicate that he was, indeed, fine. Turning his head, Oz flashed a wicked grin to Gilbert.

Gilbert's heartbeat resonated loudly in his ears. This was the first time he had been in this form in many years and now there is blood near him. All of Gilbert's senses were heightened in a manner unimaginable to a human. The smell of Oz's blood… so sweet.

Golden eyes widened at the thought. Gilbert would never drink Oz's blood. No, that was a wrong thought.

"Gil, could you help me bandage this? It might get infected if we don't clean it," suggested Oz innocently.

A vein pulsed on Gilberts forehead. "Brat," he muttered. The taller man walked towards the cabinet, having already known where the first aid was due to Gilbert needing to take care of his own missing arm. As much as it pained Gilbert to admit it, he was more prone to injuring himself now…

After gathering the disinfectant and the bandages, Gilbert made his way over to Oz, noting that Alice had fallen asleep on the bed.

Oz stuck his wrist out to Gilbert and chimed, "Thank you~"

Gilbert took Oz's wrist into his hand, his instincts screaming at him, but his mind saying otherwise.

"What does my blood smell like to a vampire?" Oz prodded.

Gilbert swallowed, "The distinctive smell of an individual can appeal to some of us more than others. Your blood smells sweet, but… there is a sour scent in it as well. It's very odd."

"Hmmm… do you like it?" Oz hummed.

The raven-haired man looked away from Oz's hand, his fangs peaking out from his lips. "I would never drink your blood, Oz."

Oz patted Gilbert on the head as he assured, "Gil you burned your arm off for me. It is not as though it is going to kill me to give you blood, and I trust you."

"You do not owe me anything."

"If you need blood I want you to have mine."

Gilbert wanted to protest with every fiber of his being, but Gilbert could not. Cheeks dusted with scarlet, Gilbert brought Oz's wrist to his mouth, inhaling the scent of Oz's blood.

"It's okay Gil," Oz reassured. The blond boy had to admit, Gilbert looked very alluring right now, but that was a trait of vampires. They had to be able to draw in their prey.

Oz could have sworn he heard Gilbert mutter an apology as Gilbert's tongue ran over the small injury. It was an odd sensation, but not unpleasant.

The taste of Oz's blood flooded Gilbert's senses; it was unlike any other. Was this how Jack's blood tasted? Gilbert had never tasted Jack's blood, Vincent did, and he had described it has tasting of too many flavor to understand it was.

Gilbert pulled away.

"What is it?" Oz cocked a brow. Gilbert had not bitten him.

A low laugh came from the vampire. "Just a lick was good enough for me. I would never take something from you, including blood. I am a vampire; I know how to collect blood for myself, even after all these years of not hunting. Thank you for the taste. It was very unique. I've been told Jack's blood tasted of a myriad of things, and so it was impossible to distinguish its flavor. Your blood is not like that. It is many things, but at its core it was… a gentle caring warm flavor that reminds me of home. You are you, Oz."

Oz tried to hide the blush that was forming prominently on his cheeks. "Gil is so cheesy, but…thanks," Oz's mumblings were hoped to have been lost to Gilbert's ears, but there is no escaping a vampires hearing.

Smiling, Gilbert stood up, patted Oz's head, and left the room as his vampire features began to shift back into those of an average human.

When Gilbert was out of the room Alice woke up, perhaps the sound of Gilbert's footsteps woke her? "WHOAAAA!" Alice fired up.

Oz was taken aback, "Alice? What is it?"

Without another word, Alice sprang up after Gilbert. The poor man was walking down the corridor when Alice pounced on him, and ripped his shirt off.

"Stupid rabbit?!" Gilbert had called out as he was knocked down with a thud.

Oz had no idea what was going on at this point.

"Turn back into a vampire seaweed-head!" she commanded.

"What!" Gilbert was overwhelmed by Alice's impeccable energy.

"JUST DO IT!"

Sighing in defeat, Gilbert requested them to, "close their eyes," and after they complied, he shifted back into his true form.

"You can open your eyes," Gilbert instructed, once again feeling very old at that moment.

Alice studied his torso, leaving Gilbert in a flustered and confused state, while Oz was still trying to comprehend what Alice was doing and if it was appropriate for him to be present right now.

"You don't have wings." Alice concluded, "If you did, I would see them now."

Oz's eyes lite up light Christmas lights at the idea.

Gilbert had spoken into his collar, and so Oz and Alice did not hear.

"What did you say, Gil?"

This was going to be a bad idea, Gilbert knew it, but it was better they found out now, rather than in battle. With great effort Gilbert told the two teens, "I do have wings. They are retractable."

Reim Lunettes could have sworn he saw a flying Gilbert carrying an Alice and Oz on his back in the sky that day, but perhaps pressure was getting to him or he simply needed to clean his lunettes.


End file.
